The World Cup is now underway, and the Croatian handball team is preparing for their first match against Senegal in Gothenburg on December 1st. Two days later, they will face China, and for the final match of the group stage, they believe it will be a derby for the top spot hosted by Sweden.
The team has a new coach, Ivica Obrvan, who has only had ten days to get to know the players and vice versa. He is currently training some of them in Podravka and met with the others before they left for Poreč. However, Obrvan believes that they will be ready for the tournament despite some injury problems earlier in the season.
Obrvan expects them to be among the top two teams to reach the second round and qualify for the quarter-finals. This would mean qualification for the Olympic Games. The Croatia Cup in Novigrad against Congo and Montenegro will serve as preparation for their upcoming matches.
Despite some challenges like Ana Debelić becoming a mother, which means adjusting to some changes, Obrvan finds it relieving that they have been together as a team for a long time. They are determined to succeed in Paris because that’s what this generation wants most.